5 Easy Tricks to Keep Your Basement Dry

Toronto is a major area of concern when it comes to moisture problems. Since the city encounters a huge rate of rainfall each year, people often complain about their house basements flooding with water and developing unwanted mold. This not only leads to structural issues and expensive repairs, but a breeding ground for bacteria and deadly viruses. Considering that, it is essential for every homeowner to make the best efforts to keep their basement dry all year long and resort to its repair from time to time.

Keeping the basements dry is surely a challenge but not an impossible task. You just have to ensure that you are taking the right course of action, so you have the area and the belongings stored there entirely safe.

There should be no debris in your gutters to cause an obstruction for sufficient drainage. They should be placed in a way to direct the water away from your home. Under no condition, the downspouts should be left dirty and in connection with your building’s foundation or else, it can cause severe damage.

Use gutter guards so that fallen leaves or similar stuff don’t enter into your gutters. Additionally, make sure you keep checking it once in a while to ensure nothing gets trapped and water flows smoothly.

Use only Water-Resistant Paint for the Walls

If the problem of humidity and condensation is high in your area, then you should better take precautionary measures by using high-quality water-resistant paints on the walls. This will protect your basement walls from ‘weeping’ inside and rotting over time.

Using these paints can be a little expensive but will ensure that your basement is dry throughout even heavy rainfalls.

Install a Dehumidifier in the Basement

Dehumidifiers are helpful to keep your basement dry in Toronto. It is a great tool to absorb all the excess humidity from the air and keep your surroundings balanced in terms of moisture. However, make sure the dehumidifier you install is a perfect fit for the size of your basement.

You may need multiple dehumidifiers in case your basement is large to get the desired outcomes.

Insulate Water Pipes

Cold pipes tend to develop condensation on the surface that drips down creating most of the water problems in the basement. That is why you have to carefully insulate all the water pipes with foam pipes to prevent your basement from any harm.

The best part is insulating the water pipes is really easy and cheap and after doing so you don’t have to worry anymore about the leaks in the plumbing system.

Waterproofing

Basement waterproofing involves techniques and materials to fill the pores and empty spaces in concrete walls to prevent water from penetrating the basement. It is generally done for basements that are below ground level and vulnerable to moisture build-up.

A point to note here is that the masonry waterproofing products need to spread thick. Use more than one coat to get the best results.